JP7702571B2 - Method and device for determining vehicle travel route taking into account passenger travel flow - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and device for determining a vehicle's travel route taking into account passenger movement flow.

The number of boarding and alighting passengers can be collected for each boarding and alighting point of the vehicle, but even at the same boarding and alighting point, there can be large differences in the number of boarding and alighting passengers depending on the time of day.

For example, during the commute times, the main movements are office workers commuting from home to work, and students commuting to school by public transport (buses). During the daytime, after students leave school, there is a lot of movement from home to cram school districts. Also, during the commute times, there is a lot of movement from office workers returning home from work.

Therefore, there is a demand for technology that can calculate the direction of passenger movement and the number of passengers moving by time period and determine the vehicle's travel route.

The above-mentioned background art is technical information that the inventor possessed in order to derive the present invention or that he acquired in the process of deriving the present invention, and is not necessarily publicly known art that was disclosed to the general public prior to the filing of the application for the present invention.

The present invention provides a method and device for determining a vehicle travel route taking into account passenger travel flow. The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the problem described above, and other problems and advantages of the present invention not described will be understood from the following description and will be more clearly understood from the embodiments of the present invention. It will also be understood that the problems and advantages to be solved by the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof shown in the claims.

As a technical means for solving the above-mentioned technical problem, a first aspect of the present disclosure can provide a method for determining a vehicle movement route taking into account passenger movement flow, the method including the steps of acquiring boarding and alighting information by time period for each of a plurality of boarding and alighting points, acquiring passenger-specific departure/arrival information based on the boarding and alighting information by time period, determining at least one passenger movement flow vector by time period based on the passenger-specific departure/arrival information, and determining a vehicle movement route based on the passenger movement flow vector by time period.

A second aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus for determining a vehicle movement route taking into account passenger movement flow, the apparatus including a memory storing at least one program and a processor that performs calculations by executing the at least one program, and which acquires boarding and alighting information by time period for each of a plurality of boarding and alighting points, acquires passenger-specific departure/arrival information based on the boarding and alighting information by time period, determines at least one passenger movement flow vector by time period based on the passenger-specific departure/arrival information, and determines a vehicle movement route based on the passenger movement flow vector by time period.

A third aspect of the present disclosure can provide a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method according to the first aspect on a computer.

In addition, other methods and systems for implementing the present invention, as well as computer-readable recording media storing computer programs for executing the methods, may also be provided.

The above-mentioned problem-solving means of the present disclosure allows more passengers to be transported per unit time, thereby helping to improve the profitability of the transportation system.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary environment of a traffic information system according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method for determining a passenger movement flow vector according to one embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining a passenger movement flow vector for each time period according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining a passenger movement flow vector for each time period according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining a passenger movement flow vector for each time period according to an embodiment. A figure for explaining an example of generating boarding and alighting clusters and determining a vehicle's travel route according to one embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of vehicle dispatching taking into consideration the number of passengers moving between cluster pairs according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a vehicle homing method according to an embodiment. 4 is a flowchart of a method for determining a vehicle travel route taking into account passenger travel flows according to one embodiment. 1 is a block diagram of a traffic information providing device according to an embodiment;

The present invention relates to a method and device for determining a vehicle's travel route taking into account passenger movement flow.

A method according to one embodiment of the present invention can acquire boarding and alighting information by time period for each of a plurality of boarding and alighting points, and acquire passenger-specific departure/arrival information based on the boarding and alighting information by time period. In addition, a method according to one embodiment of the present invention can determine at least one passenger movement flow vector by time period based on the passenger-specific departure/arrival information, and determine a vehicle movement route based on the passenger movement flow vector by time period.

The advantages and features of the present invention, as well as the methods for achieving them, will become apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented below, and can be realized in various different forms, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. The embodiments presented below are provided to complete the disclosure of the present invention and to allow those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains to fully understand the scope of the invention. In describing the present invention, if a specific description of related publicly known technology is deemed to obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

The terms used in this application are merely used to describe certain embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expressions include the plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "include" and "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood not to preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure may be illustrated in terms of functional block configurations and various processing steps. Some or all of such functional blocks may be implemented in any number of hardware and/or software configurations that perform a particular function. For example, the functional blocks of the present disclosure may be implemented in one or more microprocessors or in circuit configurations for a given function. Also, for example, the functional blocks of the present disclosure may be implemented in various programming or scripting languages. The functional blocks may be implemented in algorithms executed by one or more processors. Furthermore, the present disclosure may employ conventional techniques for electronic configuration, signal processing, and/or data processing, etc. Terms such as "mechanism," "element," "means," and "configuration" may be used broadly and are not limited to mechanical and physical configurations.

Note that the connecting lines or connecting members between components shown in the drawings are merely illustrative of functional connections and/or physical connections or circuit connections. In an actual device, connections between components may be represented by various alternative or additional functional connections, physical connections, or circuit connections.

In the following, "vehicle" may mean any type of vehicle that has a mechanism and is used to move people or goods, such as a car, bus, motorcycle, scooter, or truck.

The "traffic information system" also includes collecting and analyzing traffic information related to a demand-based transportation system, where the vehicle's travel route can be determined as fixed, semi-fixed, semi-dynamic, dynamic, etc.

Furthermore, a "vector" is a quantity that has a magnitude and a direction, and the "passenger movement flow vector" described below can include information about the passenger movement flow (direction) and information about the number of passengers included in the movement flow (magnitude).

Furthermore, "boarding and alighting point" is a term that includes all locations where passengers can board or disembark, where certain passengers can board and other passengers can disembark. In one embodiment, the "boarding and alighting point" may be a predetermined location, and in another embodiment, the "boarding and alighting point" may be any location where a vehicle can stop.

The present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example environment of a traffic information system according to one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, the traffic information system 10 may include a user terminal 100, a traffic information device 200, and a communication network 300. In addition, the traffic information system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a transportation terminal 400 and/or a boarding/alighting point terminal 500.

Referring to FIG. 1, the traffic information system 10 may include a user terminal 100, a traffic information providing device 200, a communication network 300, a transportation terminal 400, and a boarding/alighting point terminal 500.

The user terminal 100 may be a device to which traffic information generated by the traffic information providing system 10 is provided. The user terminal 100 may refer to a communication terminal capable of transmitting and receiving data with other devices in a wired or wireless communication environment. The traffic information providing system 10 may include multiple user terminals 100.

The user terminal 100 may be, for example, a smartphone, a PC, a tablet PC, a smart TV, a mobile phone, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a laptop, a media player, a microserver, a GPS (global positioning system) device, an e-book reader, a digital broadcasting terminal, a navigation system, a kiosk, an MP3 player, a digital camera, a wearable device, and other mobile or non-mobile computing devices. The user terminal 100 may also include various devices capable of receiving touch input, such as an electronic whiteboard, a touch table, and the like. The user terminal 100 may also be an accessory, such as a watch, glasses, a headband, or a ring, that has a communication function and a data processing function.

In FIG. 1, the first user terminal 100a and the second user terminal 100b are shown to be smartphones, but the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto. As described above, any device that can transmit and receive data with other devices in a wired or wireless communication environment can be used without restrictions.

The user terminal 100 can receive traffic information from the traffic information providing device 200. The user terminal 100 can transmit traffic information to the traffic information providing device 200. That is, the user terminal 100 can transmit and receive traffic information to and from the traffic information providing device 200. The user terminal 100 can display the transmitted and received traffic information as a visual signal on the display unit of the terminal, can output the transmitted and received traffic information as an auditory signal from the speaker of the user terminal 100, and can indicate the transmitted and received traffic information by a vibration function of the user terminal 100.

The user terminals 100 may be classified according to the location of each user terminal 100. For example, a user terminal located at a first boarding/alighting point may be a first user terminal 100a, a user terminal located inside a particular means of transportation may be a second user terminal 100b, and a user terminal located at a second boarding/alighting point may be a third user terminal 100c. Each user terminal 100 classified according to location may transmit different types of traffic information to the traffic information providing device 200 and may receive different types of traffic information from the traffic information providing device 200.

The traffic information providing device 200 may be a device that provides traffic information to the user terminal 100. The traffic information providing device 200 may provide information regarding the current location of a specific transportation means, the estimated arrival time at a specific boarding/alighting point, the expected congestion level, the expected number of remaining seats, and the like. The traffic information providing device 200 may provide recommendation data that recommends boarding a specific transportation means to the user terminal 100. The functions of the traffic information providing device 200 will be described in more detail in FIG. 2 and subsequent figures.

Here, the traffic information providing device 200 may be a server that provides traffic information. Although one server is shown in FIG. 1, multiple servers may exist depending on the number of connections or the amount of data.

The expected congestion level of a means of transportation is a numerical value that predicts how many passengers are on board that means of transportation, and can be calculated from the number of passengers currently on board that means of transportation relative to the type and size of that means of transportation, the interior area and volume of that means of transportation, the total number of passengers that can be accommodated, or the total number of seats. The expected number of remaining seats of a means of transportation is a numerical value that predicts how many seats are remaining on that means of transportation, and can be calculated from the number of passengers currently on board that means of transportation relative to the total number of seats of that means of transportation.

The traffic information providing device 200 can transmit different traffic information to different user terminals 100. Also, the traffic information providing device 200 can receive different traffic information from different user terminals 100. For example, the traffic information providing device 200 can receive information on the type of transportation the user of the terminal device wishes to board or the destination of the user of the terminal device from the first user terminal device 100a located at the first boarding/alighting point. Also, the traffic information providing device 200 can receive information on the boarding/alighting point where the user of the terminal device wishes to alight from the second user terminal device 100b located inside a specific transportation device. Furthermore, the traffic information providing device 200 can receive information on the type of transportation the user of the terminal device wishes to board or the destination of the user of the terminal device from the third user terminal device 100c located at the second boarding/alighting point. Furthermore, the traffic information providing device 200 can transmit information regarding the current location of a specific transportation means, the estimated arrival time at a specific boarding/alighting point, the expected congestion level, the expected number of remaining seats, etc. to the first user terminal 100a and/or the third user terminal 100c.

The communication network 300 can serve to connect the user terminal 100 and the traffic information providing device 200. That is, the communication network 300 refers to a communication network that provides a connection path so that data including traffic information can be transmitted and received between the user terminal 100 and the traffic information providing device 200. The communication network 300 can include, for example, wired networks such as LANs (Local Area Networks), WANs (Wide Area Networks), MANs (Metropolitan Area Networks), and ISDNs (Integrated Service Digital Networks), and wireless networks such as wireless LANs, CDMA, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and satellite communication, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The transportation terminal 400 may be a device installed in the transportation. Here, the transportation may be various transportation that operates along a route, such as buses, trains, subways, ships, and airplanes, which are operated for passengers, but is not limited thereto. In FIG. 1, a bus is shown as the transportation, but the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various types of transportation can be used without restrictions, as described above.

The transportation terminal 400 may be a device that transmits traffic information related to the transportation in which the transportation terminal 400 is installed to the transportation information providing device 200. The transportation terminal 400 may be a communication terminal that can transmit and receive data with other devices in a wired or wireless communication environment.

The transportation information system 10 may include a plurality of transportation terminals 400. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a first transportation terminal 400a may be installed for a first transportation, and a second transportation terminal 400b may be installed for a second transportation. Each transportation terminal 400 may transmit information related to the transportation in which the transportation terminal 400 is installed to the transportation information device 200.

The transportation terminal 400 may also be a device that receives traffic information related to the transportation in which the transportation terminal 400 is installed from the traffic information providing device 200. Furthermore, the transportation terminal 400 may also be a device that transmits and receives traffic information to and from other transportation terminals. That is, the first transportation terminal 400a and the second transportation terminal 400b can transmit and receive acquired traffic information to and from each other. Although the transportation terminal is shown to be installed outside the transportation in FIG. 1, the transportation terminal may also be installed inside the transportation.

The transportation terminal 400 can execute a function of acquiring the traffic information in addition to transmitting and receiving traffic information related to the transportation in which the transportation terminal 400 is installed. For example, the transportation terminal 400 can execute a function of counting the number of passengers on board the transportation, a function of counting the number of passengers seated on the transportation, a function of counting the number of passengers boarding the transportation, a function of counting the number of passengers disembarking from the transportation, a function of counting the number of passengers who plan to disembark from the transportation at a specific boarding and disembarking point, a function of calculating the congestion degree of the transportation, and the like. The transportation terminal 400 may include a device such as a sensor required to count the number of passengers on board the transportation and the number of passengers boarding and disembarking. Alternatively, the transportation terminal 400 may be connected to a device that acquires the traffic information by wire or wirelessly.

The boarding and alighting point terminal 500 may be a communication device installed at a boarding and alighting point. Here, the boarding and alighting point may be, but is not limited to, a building, structure, or location on a route on which the transportation means operates where the transportation means stops to board and alight passengers.

The boarding/alighting point terminal 500 may be a device that transmits traffic information related to the boarding/alighting point where the boarding/alighting point terminal 500 is installed to the traffic information providing device 200. The boarding/alighting point terminal 500 may be a communication terminal that can transmit and receive data with other devices in a wired or wireless communication environment.

The traffic information system 10 may include a plurality of boarding and alighting point terminals 500. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a first boarding and alighting point terminal 500a may be installed at a first boarding and alighting point, and a second boarding and alighting point terminal 500b may be installed at a second boarding and alighting point. Each boarding and alighting point terminal 500 may transmit information about the boarding and alighting point at which the boarding and alighting point terminal 500 is installed to the traffic information device 200.

The boarding/alighting point terminal device 500 may also be a device that receives traffic information related to the boarding/alighting point where the boarding/alighting point terminal device 500 is installed from the traffic information providing device 200.

Furthermore, the boarding/alighting point terminal 500 may be a device for transmitting and receiving traffic information to and from other boarding/alighting point terminals. That is, the first boarding/alighting point terminal 500a and the second boarding/alighting point terminal 500b can transmit and receive acquired traffic information to and from each other. In FIG. 1, the boarding/alighting point terminal 500 is shown installed so as to be attached to the outer wall of the boarding/alighting point, but the boarding/alighting point terminal 500 can be installed at various positions at the boarding/alighting point or in the area surrounding the boarding/alighting point depending on the location or type of the boarding/alighting point.

The boarding/alighting point terminal device 500 can execute a function of acquiring the traffic information in addition to the role of transmitting and receiving traffic information related to the boarding/alighting point where the boarding/alighting point terminal device 500 is installed. For example, the boarding/alighting point terminal device 500 can execute a function of counting the number of people waiting at the boarding/alighting point where the boarding/alighting point terminal device 500 is installed, a function of counting the number of people waiting at the boarding/alighting point who wish to board a specific means of transportation, and a function of counting the number of people disembarking at the boarding/alighting point. The boarding/alighting point terminal device 500 may include a device such as a sensor required for counting the number of people. Alternatively, the boarding/alighting point terminal device 500 may be connected to a device that acquires the traffic information via wired or wireless connection.

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining passenger movement flow vectors in one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of boarding and alighting points are displayed on the map in FIG. 2. The traffic information providing device can acquire boarding and alighting position information of the plurality of boarding and alighting points. For example, the traffic information providing device can acquire boarding and alighting position information from a boarding and alighting point terminal device, or can acquire boarding and alighting position information from a user terminal device.

The traffic information providing device can obtain information on the number of passengers boarding and alighting by time period, taking into account the times at which passengers boarded and alighted at each of multiple boarding and alighting points.

Referring to FIG. 2, the traffic information providing device can obtain the number of passengers boarding and alighting at multiple boarding and alighting points during the commuter hours (7:00AM to 9:00AM). The number of passengers boarding and alighting at the first boarding and alighting point 211 is 20, the number of passengers boarding and alighting at the second boarding and alighting point 212 is 10, the number of passengers boarding and alighting at the third boarding and alighting point 213 is 5, the number of passengers boarding and alighting at the third boarding and alighting point 213 is 15, and the number of passengers boarding and alighting at the fourth boarding and alighting point 214 is 0, and the number of passengers boarding and alighting at the fourth boarding and alighting point 214 is 10.

The traffic information providing device can determine a passenger movement flow vector based on the number of passengers boarding and alighting at the first to fourth boarding and alighting points 211 to 214.

Specifically, the traffic information providing device can determine that the number of passengers who boarded at the first boarding/alighting point 211 and disembarked at the second boarding/alighting point 212 is 5, based on the number of passengers boarding/alighting at the first boarding/alighting point 211 and the second boarding/alighting point 212. Therefore, it can be seen that 15 passengers (20 - 5 = 15) remain after boarding at the first boarding/alighting point 211, and the number of passengers aboard the vehicle is 25 (15 + 10 = 25).

Based on the number of passengers boarding and alighting at the first boarding and alighting point 211, the second boarding and alighting point 212, and the third boarding and alighting point 213, the traffic information providing device can estimate the number of passengers who boarded at the first boarding and alighting point 211 and alighted at the third boarding and alighting point 213 to be 9 (15 people x (15/25) = 9 people), and the number of passengers who boarded at the second boarding and alighting point 212 and alighted at the third boarding and alighting point 213 to be 6 (15 people x (10/25) = 6 people). In the above estimation process, 15 people is the number of passengers who alighted at the third boarding and alighting point 213.

Finally, based on the number of passengers boarding and alighting at the first boarding and alighting point 211, the second boarding and alighting point 212, the third boarding and alighting point 213, and the fourth boarding and alighting point 214, the traffic information providing device can estimate the number of passengers who boarded at the first boarding and alighting point 211 and alighted at the fourth boarding and alighting point 214 to be 6, the number of passengers who boarded at the second boarding and alighting point 212 and alighted at the fourth boarding and alighting point 214 to be 4, and the number of passengers who boarded at the third boarding and alighting point 213 and alighted at the fourth boarding and alighting point 214 to be 5.

The traffic information providing device can determine at least one passenger movement flow vector indicating the flow of passenger movement and the magnitude of passenger movement during the time period by acquiring boarding and alighting information by time period for each of a plurality of boarding and alighting points and acquiring departure/arrival information by passenger based on the boarding and alighting information by time period. Referring to FIG. 2, the passenger movement flow vector is indicated by a thick arrow, the direction of the arrow indicates the passenger movement flow, and the thickness of the arrow indicates the number of passengers included in the movement flow.

Figures 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating a method for determining passenger movement flow vectors by time period according to one embodiment.

Even at the same boarding and alighting point, the number of passengers may differ depending on the time period. For example, during the commute time (7:00-9:00 AM), many office workers travel from home to go to work and many students travel from home to go to school, during the daytime (3:00-5:00 PM), many students travel from home to go to cram school districts after school, and during the dismissal time (5:00-8:00 PM), many office workers travel from home to go to their homes after finishing work.

During commuting hours (7:00-9:00AM), many passengers board at boarding and alighting points located near residential areas, and many passengers alight at boarding and alighting points located near commercial areas. During daytime hours (3:00-5:00PM), many passengers board at boarding and alighting points located near schools, and many passengers alight at boarding and alighting points located near cram school districts. During leaving work hours (5:00-8:00PM), in contrast to commuting hours (7:00-9:00AM), many passengers board at boarding and alighting points located near commercial areas, and many passengers alight at boarding and alighting points located near residential areas.

Referring to FIG. 3A, during the commuter hours (7:00-9:00 AM), a passenger flow vector can be determined from the first boarding/alighting point 311 to the second boarding/alighting point 312, and a passenger flow vector can be determined from the third boarding/alighting point 313 to the fourth boarding/alighting point 314. Conversely, referring to FIG. 3B, during the commuter hours (5:00-8:00 PM), a passenger flow vector can be determined from the second boarding/alighting point 312 to the first boarding/alighting point 311, and a passenger flow vector can be determined from the fourth boarding/alighting point 314 to the third boarding/alighting point 313. Taking into account the passenger movement flow vectors during the commute times (7:00AM to 9:00AM) and the commute times (5:00PM to 8:00PM), the traffic information providing device can estimate that the first and third boarding and alighting points 311 and 313 are residential areas, and the second and fourth boarding and alighting points 312 and 314 are commercial areas.

Referring also to FIG. 3C, passenger movement flow vectors from the fifth and seventh boarding and alighting points 315 and 317 to the sixth boarding and alighting point 316 can be determined during the daytime hours (3:00-5:00 PM). Taking into account the passenger movement flow vectors during the daytime hours (3:00-5:00 PM), the traffic information providing device can estimate that the fifth and seventh boarding and alighting points 315 and 317 are near schools, and the sixth boarding and alighting point 316 is near a cram school district.

...

Similarly, referring to FIG. 3C, the traffic information device can determine that the number of passengers moving from the seventh boarding/alighting point 317 to the sixth boarding/alighting point 316 is greater than the number of passengers moving from the fifth boarding/alighting point 315 to the sixth boarding/alighting point 316.

The traffic information device can determine passenger movement flow vectors for each time period using the method described above. The passenger movement flow vector can include information on the movement flow (direction) of passengers and information on the number (size) of passengers included in the movement flow. The traffic information device can determine the movement route of the vehicle based on the passenger movement flow vector.

Hereinafter, the traffic information device's determination of a vehicle's movement route based on a passenger movement flow vector for each time period may include determining the vehicle's movement route by estimating a passenger movement flow vector for each time period. In other words, the traffic information device can determine the vehicle's movement route not only based on a passenger movement flow vector for a specific day of the week and a specific time period, but also by estimating a passenger movement flow vector for the same day of the week and time period as the specific day of the week and the specific time period.

For example, referring to FIG. 3A, during the commute time (7:00-9:00 AM), the traffic information providing device may determine a vehicle movement route so that the vehicle departs from the first passenger movement flow vector 321 and arrives at the second passenger movement flow vector 312, and may also determine a vehicle movement route so that the vehicle departs from the third passenger movement flow vector 313 and arrives at the fourth passenger movement flow vector 314, taking into consideration the magnitudes of the first passenger movement flow vector 321 and the second passenger movement flow vector 322. In addition, the traffic information providing device may schedule vehicle dispatch so that the number of vehicles operating along the first passenger movement flow vector 321 is greater than the number of vehicles operating along the second passenger movement flow vector 322, taking into consideration the magnitudes of the first passenger movement flow vector 321 and the second passenger movement flow vector 322.

Referring to FIG. 3B, during the off-work hours (5:00-8:00 PM), the traffic information device may determine a vehicle movement route so that the vehicle departs from the second boarding/alighting point 312 and arrives at the first boarding/alighting point 311, and may also determine a vehicle movement route so that the vehicle departs from the fourth boarding/alighting point 314 and arrives at the third boarding/alighting point 313, taking into consideration the magnitudes of the third passenger movement flow vector 323 and the fourth passenger movement flow vector 324. In addition, the traffic information device may schedule vehicle dispatch so that the number of vehicles operating along the third passenger movement flow vector 323 is greater than the number of vehicles operating along the fourth passenger movement flow vector 324, taking into consideration the magnitudes of the third passenger movement flow vector 323 and the fourth passenger movement flow vector 324.

Further, referring to FIG. 3C, during the daytime hours (3:00-5:00 PM), the traffic information providing device can determine the movement route of the vehicle so that the vehicle departs from the fifth passenger movement flow vector 325 or the seventh passenger movement flow vector 317 and arrives at the sixth passenger movement flow point 316, taking into consideration the directions of the fifth passenger movement flow vector 325 and the sixth passenger movement flow vector 326. In addition, the traffic information providing device can schedule vehicle dispatch so that the number of vehicles traveling along the sixth passenger movement flow vector 326 is greater than the number of vehicles traveling along the fifth passenger movement flow vector 325, taking into consideration the magnitudes of the fifth passenger movement flow vector 325 and the sixth passenger movement flow vector 326.

In one embodiment, the traffic information providing device can determine the vehicle movement route by further considering at least one of the passenger boarding time and the passenger waiting time in addition to the passenger movement flow vector by time period. The passenger boarding time may mean the time that the passenger is on board the vehicle, and the passenger waiting time may mean the time that the passenger is waiting outside the vehicle until boarding the vehicle.

The traffic information providing device can calculate the boarding time of a specific passenger by using the difference between the time when the passenger boards the vehicle and the time when the passenger disembarks. The traffic information providing device can also calculate the waiting time of a specific passenger by using the difference between the time when the passenger arrives at a specific boarding/disembarking point and the time when the passenger boards the vehicle, based on the position information of the specific passenger (e.g., GPS information from a user terminal device).

The traffic information providing device determines the travel route of the vehicle based on the passenger movement flow vector, and can determine the final travel route by adjusting the travel route of the vehicle so that the boarding time of passengers boarding the vehicle is equal to or less than a first threshold and the waiting time of passengers waiting for the vehicle is equal to or less than a second threshold. For example, even if a travel route that passes through 10 boarding and alighting points is determined based on the passenger movement flow vector, if there is a passenger whose boarding time exceeds a first threshold (e.g., 1 hour) or whose waiting time exceeds a second threshold (e.g., 30 minutes), the traffic information providing device can determine the final travel route by excluding some of the boarding and alighting points from the travel route.

In the present disclosure, passenger convenience can be improved by determining the vehicle movement route by further considering not only the passenger movement flow vector by time period, but also at least one of the boarding time and waiting time by passenger.

In one embodiment, the traffic information device can update the passenger movement flow vector by time period at a predetermined time interval. For example, the traffic information device can update the passenger movement flow vector at two-hour intervals.

The traffic information device can also set the update period to differ depending on the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector. The greater the number of passengers included in the movement flow, the greater the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector, and the greater the passenger movement flow vector, the longer the direction of the passenger movement flow vector is maintained.

Specifically, the traffic information providing device can update the passenger movement flow vector at a first time interval when the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold. Also, the traffic information providing device can update the passenger movement flow vector at a second time interval when the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector is equal to or greater than a second threshold. Here, the first time interval may be set to be shorter than the second time interval.

For example, referring to FIG. 3A, the traffic information device may determine that the magnitude of the first passenger flow vector 321 is equal to or greater than the second threshold, and that the magnitude of the second passenger flow vector 322 is equal to or greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold. Thus, the traffic information device may update the first passenger flow vector 321 at one-hour intervals and the second passenger flow vector 322 at 30-minute intervals.

In the present disclosure, the update period is set to be different depending on the magnitude of the passenger flow vector, so that when at least one of the magnitude and direction of the passenger flow vector changes in a short cycle, the passenger flow vector can be updated in a cycle shorter than the reference interval. In the present disclosure, the vehicle movement route is determined based on the updated passenger flow vector and the vehicle dispatch is scheduled, so that more passengers can be moved within a unit time.

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of generating boarding and alighting clusters and determining a vehicle's travel route in one embodiment.

The traffic information providing device can generate a boarding cluster 410 by clustering a plurality of boarding and alighting points included in a first region where boarding passengers are concentrated during a specified time period. The traffic information providing device can also generate alighting cluster 420 by clustering a plurality of boarding and alighting points included in a second region where alighting passengers are concentrated during a specified time period. Boarding and alighting clusters are determined by time period, and different regions may be determined as boarding and alighting clusters when the time period changes.

Referring to FIG. 4, the traffic information providing device can determine passenger movement flow vector 430 for the commuting time slot (7:00AM to 9:00AM) based on departure/arrival information for each passenger by time slot for each of a plurality of boarding and alighting points. In this case, the traffic information providing device can determine passenger movement flow vector 430 for the commuting time slot (7:00AM to 9:00AM) using boarding cluster 410 and alighting cluster 420.

Specifically, the traffic information providing device can identify a first region where boarding passengers are concentrated during the commute time (7:00AM to 9:00AM) and generate boarding cluster 410 by clustering multiple boarding and alighting points included in the first region. The traffic information providing device can also identify a second region where disembarking passengers are concentrated during the commute time (7:00AM to 9:00AM) and generate disembarking cluster 420 by clustering multiple boarding and alighting points included in the second region. The traffic information providing device can determine passenger movement flow vector 430 indicated by an arrow, where the direction of the arrow is from boarding cluster 410 to disembarking cluster 420, and the thickness of the arrow may reflect the number of passengers moving from boarding cluster 410 to disembarking cluster 420.

The traffic information providing device can also determine the vehicle's final movement route 431 based on the passenger movement flow vector 430.

Specifically, the traffic information providing device can determine the final movement route 431 of the vehicle by setting a first movement route connecting a plurality of boarding and alighting points included in the boarding cluster 410, setting a second movement route connecting a plurality of boarding and alighting points included in the alighting cluster 420, and setting a connecting route connecting the boarding cluster 410 and the alighting cluster 420. The traffic information providing device can set the first movement route, the second movement route, and the connecting route based on criteria such as the shortest time and the shortest distance. In addition, the traffic information providing device can set the first movement route, the second movement route, and the connecting route by further considering at least one of the boarding time for each passenger and the waiting time for each passenger. However, the determination method is not limited thereto.

In addition, the traffic information providing device can determine the number of vehicles that will operate on the final travel route 431 during a given time period based on the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector 430 and the number of passengers in the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the traffic information providing device can set the update interval of the passenger movement flow vector within the boarding/alighting clusters 410 and 420 to be different from the update interval of the passenger movement flow vector 430 between the boarding cluster 410 and the alighting cluster 420. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the passenger movement flow vector due to the movement of passengers can also be determined within the boarding/alighting clusters 410 and 420.

Specifically, the traffic information providing device may determine that the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector within the boarding/alighting clusters 410, 420 is less than the second threshold, and update the passenger movement flow vector at 30-minute intervals. In addition, the traffic information providing device may determine that the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector 430 between the boarding cluster 410 and the alighting cluster 420 is equal to or greater than the second threshold, and update the passenger movement flow vector at one-hour intervals. For example, the first and second routes may be updated at 30-minute intervals, and the connecting route may be updated at one-hour intervals.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of vehicle dispatching that takes into account the number of passengers moving between cluster pairs in one embodiment.

By using the method described above in FIG. 4, the traffic information providing device can generate a plurality of clusters 510, 520, 530, 540, and 550. Referring to FIG. 5, the first cluster 510 and the third cluster 530 correspond to boarding clusters, and the second cluster 520, the fourth cluster 540, and the fifth cluster 550 correspond to disembarking clusters.

The traffic information providing device can generate a cluster pair by matching boarding clusters and alighting clusters. Boarding clusters and alighting clusters connected by a passenger movement flow vector can form a cluster pair. One cluster can belong to multiple cluster pairs, and one cluster can be determined as a boarding cluster for some clusters and as alighting cluster for other clusters among the multiple clusters.

Referring to FIG. 5, the traffic information device may match the first cluster 510 with the fifth cluster 550 to generate a first cluster pair, and match the first cluster 510 with the fourth cluster 540 to generate a second cluster pair. In a similar manner, the traffic information device may match the second cluster 520, the fourth cluster 540, and the fifth cluster 550 with the third cluster 530, respectively, to generate the third to fifth cluster pairs.

The traffic information providing device can obtain information on the number of vehicles that can be operated.

The traffic information device can allocate vehicles by comparing the magnitudes of multiple passenger movement flow vectors indicating the number of moving passengers with the number of operable vehicles. If the number of operable vehicles is sufficient, the traffic information device can allocate vehicles to each of all cluster pairs shown in FIG. 5. The movement route of the vehicle allocated to the cluster pair can be determined according to the direction of the passenger movement flow vector corresponding to the cluster pair. Here, if the number of passengers that can be accommodated differs for each vehicle, the traffic information device can allocate vehicles by taking into account the magnitude of each passenger movement flow vector. In other words, the larger the passenger movement flow vector, the more vehicles that can accommodate a larger number of passengers can be allocated to the movement route.

On the other hand, if the number of operable vehicles is insufficient, the traffic information providing device may allocate vehicles to cluster pairs whose passenger movement flow vectors have a magnitude equal to or greater than a predetermined value, taking into account the information on the number of operable vehicles. For example, if there are only two operable vehicles, the traffic information providing device may allocate vehicles to the first cluster pair (matching the first cluster 510 with the fifth cluster 550) and the third cluster pair (matching the third cluster 530 with the second cluster 520) whose passenger movement flow vectors have a magnitude, i.e., a thick arrow. Here, if the two vehicles have different capacities of passengers, the traffic information providing device may allocate a vehicle that can accommodate more passengers to the first cluster pair.

In this disclosure, by taking into account information on the number of operable vehicles, vehicles are allocated to cluster pairs, making it possible to transport more passengers within a unit time.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle return method according to one embodiment.

The traffic information providing device can determine passenger movement flow vectors for each time period based on the boarding and alighting position information of multiple boarding and alighting points and the number of passengers boarding and alighting for each time period, taking into account the time when passengers boarded and alighted at each of the multiple boarding and alighting points. The first map 601 in Figure 6 shows passenger movement flow vectors 610 for the commuter time period (7:00 to 9:00 AM).

Referring to the second map 602 in FIG. 6, the traffic information device may determine a first movement route 611 of the vehicle based on the passenger movement flow vector 610. The traffic information device may determine the first movement route 611 passing through the boarding and disembarking points used to determine the passenger movement flow vector 610. Meanwhile, as described above, the traffic information device may determine the movement route of the vehicle by further considering at least one of the boarding time for each passenger and the waiting time for each passenger.

The traffic information providing device can identify the departure point 620, the intermediate point 640, and the arrival point 630 from among the multiple boarding and alighting points based on the first travel route 611 of the vehicle.

Referring to the third map 603 in FIG. 6, an example is shown in which a vehicle travels from a starting point 620 along a first travel route 611, passes through a waypoint 640, arrives at a destination point 630, and then returns to the starting point 620.

In one embodiment, the traffic information providing device can determine the return route 612 of the vehicle so that when the vehicle arrives at the arrival point 630 and returns to the departure point 620, the vehicle returns immediately to the departure point 620 without passing through the intermediate point 640.

In another embodiment, the traffic information providing device may determine the return route 612 of the vehicle such that, after the vehicle arrives at the arrival point 630, the vehicle returns to the starting point 620 via at least a portion of the waypoint 640.

In the present disclosure, the return route 612 of the vehicle can be determined by comparing the number of passengers traveled per unit time between a route that passes through at least a portion of the waypoint 640 and a route that returns directly to the starting point 620 without passing through the waypoint 640, and then determining the return route 612 of the vehicle.

Figure 7 is a flowchart of a method for determining a vehicle travel path taking into account passenger travel flow in one embodiment.

The method for determining a vehicle's travel route taking into account passenger movement flow shown in Figure 7 relates to the embodiment described in the above figure, so even if the content is omitted below, the content described in the above figure can also be applied to the method of Figure 7.

Referring to FIG. 7, in step 710, the processor can obtain boarding and alighting information by time period for each of a number of boarding and alighting points.

In step 720, the processor can obtain passenger-specific departure/arrival information based on boarding and alighting information by time period.

In step 730, the processor may determine at least one time-slot specific passenger movement flow vector based on passenger-specific departure/arrival information.

The processor can generate boarding clusters by clustering multiple boarding and alighting points included in a first area where many boarding passengers are concentrated during a specified time period. The processor can also generate disembarking clusters by clustering multiple boarding and alighting points included in a second area where many disembarking passengers are concentrated during a specified time period. The processor can determine a passenger movement flow vector for a specified time period based on the boarding clusters and the disembarking clusters. The processor can determine a passenger movement flow vector for a specified time period based on the number of passengers boarding at the boarding clusters and disembarking at the disembarking clusters.

The processor can match boarding clusters with alighting clusters to generate a plurality of cluster pairs and determine passenger movement flow vectors for each of the plurality of cluster pairs. The processor can also obtain information on the number of operable vehicles and, taking into account the information on the number of operable vehicles, dispatch vehicles to cluster pairs whose passenger movement flow vectors have magnitudes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

In step 740, the processor can determine a vehicle travel route based on the passenger movement flow vectors by time period.

The multiple boarding and alighting points may include a first boarding and alighting point and a second boarding and alighting point. The processor can determine the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector for a specified time period based on the number of passengers who board at the first boarding and alighting point and alight at the second boarding and alighting point during the specified time period. The processor can also determine the direction of the passenger movement flow vector for the specified time period based on the location information of the first boarding and alighting point and the location information of the second boarding and alighting point.

In one embodiment, the processor may update the passenger movement flow vector for each time period at a predetermined time interval. The processor may update the passenger movement flow vector for each time period at a first time interval if the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector for each time period is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold, and may update the passenger movement flow vector for each time period at a second time interval if the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector for each time period is equal to or greater than a second threshold. Here, the first time interval may be set to be shorter than the second time interval.

In one embodiment, the processor can determine the vehicle travel route by further considering the passenger movement flow vector by time period and at least one of the passenger boarding time and the passenger waiting time.

In one embodiment, the processor can identify a departure point, a waypoint, and a destination point from among a plurality of boarding and alighting points based on the travel path of the vehicle. The processor can determine a return path such that after the vehicle arrives at the destination point, the vehicle returns to the departure point without passing through the waypoint.

Figure 8 is a block diagram of a traffic information providing device according to one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, the traffic information providing device 800 may include a communication unit 810, a processor 820, and a DB 830. Only components related to the embodiment are shown in the traffic information providing device 800 in FIG. 8. Therefore, a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand that the traffic information providing device 800 may further include other general-purpose components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 8.

The communication unit 810 may include one or more components that enable wired/wireless communication with an external server or device. For example, the communication unit 810 may include at least one of a short-range communication unit (not shown), a mobile communication unit (not shown), and a broadcast receiving unit (not shown).

DB830 is hardware that stores various data processed within the traffic information providing device 800, and can store programs for processing and controlling the processor 820. DB830 can store payment information, user information, etc.

DB830 may include a random access memory (RAM) such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), CD-ROM, Blu-ray or other optical disk storage, hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or flash memory.

The processor 820 controls the overall operation of the traffic information providing device 800. For example, the processor 820 can generally control the input unit (not shown), the display (not shown), the communication unit 810, the DB 830, etc., by executing a program stored in the DB 830. The processor 820 can generally control the operation of the traffic information providing device 800 by executing a program stored in the DB 830.

The processor 820 can control at least a portion of the operation of the traffic information providing device described above in Figures 1 to 7.

The processor 820 may be implemented using at least one of the following electrical units for performing functions: ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), DSPDs (digital signal processing devices), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and other functions.

In one embodiment, the traffic information providing device 800 may be a mobile electronic device. For example, the traffic information providing device 800 may be a smartphone, a tablet PC, a PC, a smart TV, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop, a media player, a navigation system, a device with a camera, and other mobile electronic devices. The traffic information providing device 800 may also be a wearable device, such as a watch, glasses, a headband, or a ring, that has communication and data processing capabilities.

In another embodiment, the traffic information providing device 800 may be an electronic device that is integrated into a vehicle. For example, the traffic information providing device 800 may be an electronic device that is inserted into a vehicle by tuning after the manufacturing process.

In yet another embodiment, the traffic information providing device 800 may be a server located outside the vehicle. The server may be realized by a computer device or multiple computer devices that communicate over a network to provide instructions, code, files, content, services, etc. The server may receive data necessary to determine the vehicle's travel route from a device mounted on the vehicle, and may determine the vehicle's travel route based on the received data.

Embodiments according to the present invention can be realized in the form of a computer program executable by various components on a computer, and such a computer program can be recorded on a computer-readable medium. Here, the medium includes a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, or a magnetic tape, an optical medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD, a magneto-optical medium such as a floptical disk, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, or other hardware device specially configured to store and execute program instructions.

The computer program may be one that has been specially designed and constructed for the present invention, or one that is known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer programs include not only machine code such as that generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that is executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product can be traded as a commodity between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product can be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)) or distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store ^™ ) or directly between two user devices. In the case of online distribution, at least a part of the computer program product can be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

Unless there is an explicit or contrary description of the steps constituting the method according to the present invention, the steps may be performed in any suitable order. The present invention is not necessarily limited to the order of the steps described above. The use of all examples or exemplary terms (such as, for example, etc.) in the present invention is merely for the purpose of explaining the present invention in detail, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the examples or exemplary terms unless limited by the claims. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications, combinations, and changes can be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents according to design conditions and factors.

Therefore, the idea of the present invention should not be limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and not only the scope of the attached claims, but also all scopes equivalent to or equivalently modified from the scope of the claims, can be said to belong to the scope of the idea of the present invention.

Claims (8)

A method for determining a vehicle travel route taking into account passenger travel flows, comprising:
acquiring boarding and alighting information by time period for each of a plurality of boarding and alighting points;
acquiring passenger-specific departure/arrival information based on the boarding/alighting information by time period;
determining at least one time-slot-specific passenger movement flow vector based on the passenger-specific departure/arrival information;
determining a vehicle movement route based on the passenger movement flow vector for each time period;
The method comprises:
The passenger movement flow vector for each time period is updated at a predetermined time interval.
The updating step includes:
updating the passenger flow vector at a first time interval when the magnitude of the passenger flow vector for each time period is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value, and updating the passenger flow vector at a second time interval when the magnitude of the passenger flow vector for each time period is equal to or greater than the second threshold value;
The method , wherein the first time interval is different from the second time interval . The plurality of boarding and alighting points include a first boarding and alighting point and a second boarding and alighting point,
The step of determining a passenger movement flow vector by time period includes:
determining a magnitude of a passenger movement flow vector for a predetermined time period based on the number of passengers who board at the first boarding/alighting point and disembark at the second boarding/alighting point during the predetermined time period;
determining a direction of a passenger movement flow vector for the predetermined time period based on location information of the first boarding/alighting point and location information of the second boarding/alighting point;
The method of claim 1. The step of determining a passenger movement flow vector by time period includes:
A step of generating boarding clusters by clustering a plurality of boarding and alighting points included in a first area where a large number of boarding passengers are concentrated during a predetermined time period;
A step of generating an alighting cluster by clustering a plurality of boarding and alighting points included in the second area where a large number of alighting passengers are concentrated during the predetermined time period;
and determining a passenger movement flow vector for the given time period based on the boarding clusters and the alighting clusters. The step of determining a passenger movement flow vector by time period includes:
Matching the boarding clusters and the alighting clusters to generate a plurality of cluster pairs;
determining a passenger movement flow vector for each of the plurality of cluster pairs;
Obtaining information about the number of operable vehicles;
The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of: taking into account the operable vehicle fleet information, dispatching vehicles to cluster pairs whose passenger movement flow vectors have magnitudes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
The method of claim 1. The step of determining a travel route of the vehicle includes:
The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of determining a movement route of the vehicle by further considering the passenger movement flow vector by time period and at least one of a boarding time by passenger and a waiting time by passenger. The method comprises:
Identifying a departure point, a waypoint, and a destination point from among a plurality of boarding and alighting points based on a travel route of the vehicle;
and determining a return route such that after the vehicle arrives at the destination point, the vehicle returns to the starting point without passing through the waypoint. 1. An apparatus for determining a vehicle travel route taking into account a passenger travel flow, comprising:
a memory having at least one program stored therein;
a processor for performing operations by executing the at least one program;
The processor,
Acquire boarding and alighting information by time period for each of a plurality of boarding and alighting points,
Obtaining passenger-specific departure/arrival information based on the boarding/alighting information by time period;
determining at least one passenger movement flow vector for each time period based on the passenger-specific departure/arrival information;
A vehicle movement route is determined based on the passenger movement flow vector by time period, and the processor further updates the passenger movement flow vector by time period at a predetermined time interval;
The updating step comprises:
updating the passenger movement flow vector at a first time interval when the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector by time period is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value, and updating the passenger movement flow vector at a second time interval when the magnitude of the passenger movement flow vector by time period is equal to or greater than the second threshold value;
The first time interval is different from the second time interval . A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method according to claim 1 on a computer.

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